Ironing-press burnguard



March 31, 1931. J. c. LEDBETTER 1,798,743

IRONING PRES S BURNGUARD Filed Feb. 6, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR James ('amrarl Leclefl'er BY W TTORNEYS March 31, 1931. J, c, LEDBETTER 1,798,743

IRONING PRESS BURNGUARD Filed Feb. 6, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR James (dared Led efter WRNEYS Patented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES CAMROD LEDIBETTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE PROSPERITY COMPANY, INC., 01" SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPO- RATION OF NEW YORK IRONING-PRESS BURNGUAIRD Application filed February 6, 1925. Serial No. 7,217.

t;- which operated by the movement of the swinging press jaw.

A further object to mount stationary motion producing means on the press frame to operate the burnguard to and fro across the ironing face as the press opens and closes.

Th accon'lpanying drawings illustrate the invention and changes may be made if desired without departing from the scope thereof.

Figure 1 illustrates a fragmentary view of the ironing press in closed position with the burnguard curtain withdrawn from the polishecl ironing face so as to permit the laundered goods to receive a domestic finish.

Figure 2 shows a side fragmentary view of the press in open position with the protective curtain automatically drawn over to conceal the ironing face to protect the operator while the ironing press is open.

Figure 3 shows a plan view of the ironing head jaw in closed position with the guard curtain rolled up on the carrier.

Referring now more )articularly to the drawings for a detailed description of the 1n- 5 vention there is shown a press frame which supports a fixed pressing member, buck, or jaw 11. A swinging press lever 12 1s pivoted on the frame at 13 and carrles a press head jaw 14 on the forward end thereof which is adapted to move up and down in pressure relation with the buck 11.

lVith particular reference to the burnguard improvements constituting the 1n vention, there is shown rear brackets 16 pro ect 5 ing outwardly from the head. A curtain carrier of any suitable type as for example a roller drum 17 is supported between the two brackets 16 and a curtain 18 is mounted on the roller and adapted to roll in and out so as to alternately conceal and uncover the polished ironing face 19 of the press head 14. The roller drum 17 is of simple construction inasmuch as it embodies no wind-up return spring means or other parts to complicate its construction. A drive shaft 20 is fixed in the drum, the drum 17 being anchored to the said shaft 20 and this shaft 20 is journaled in the brackets 16 with one of its end proj ecting from one of the brackets so as to an chor a pinion 21 on the end thereof. The pinion is adapted to rotate the drum 17 in one direction to roll or draw the curtain there upon serving to uncover the ironing face 19.

A large driving gear 23 is made with internal gear teeth engaging the pinion 21. The improvedgear and pinion construction is such that the pinion 21 is concealed in the gear 23 so as to avoid exposing the gear teeth thereof. A drive shaft 24 is journaled in the bracket 16 and extends rearwardly towards the center of the machine where the shaft is journaled in a bearing 25 anchored to the press lever 12. It is understood that the lever 12 and ironing head 14 move together and so it follows that the shaft 24 is subjected to an up and down motion during the opening and closing motion of the ironing head. A gear rack 26 is anchored on the stationary frame 10 adjacent the bearing 25. A drive pinion 27 is fixed on the end of the shaft 24 next to the bearing 25 and meshes with the stationary gear rack 26. As the shaft 24 travels up and down in relation to the gear rack 26, it follows that the pinion 27 rolls along the gear rack thereby rotating the shaft 24 which imparts rotation to the drum 17 and thereby draws inwardly and rearwardly on the curtain 18.

An important feature of the invention is the location of the curtain carrier to the rear of the press where it is out of the operators way. The front edge of the ironing jaw, being the edge opposite the curtain carrier is provided with a tubular casing 29 having both ends thereof open. This tube may be cast integral with the ironing head if desired. A resilient and active substantially long coil spring 30 is concealed in the tubular casing 29. Each end of the spring 30 is attached to a cord or cable 31 which passes around guide rollers 32. The rollers 32 act to direct the cable 31 rearwardly where each rear end ofeach cable is attached as at 33 to the front edge of the curtain 18. The tension of the spring 30 is sufficient to draw the. curtain 18 forwardly across the ironing face 19 when the shaft 24 rotates to feed the curtain out away fromthe carrier drunr17. A spring center locking means, such as a screw or a pin 34, is passed through the wall of the casin 29 and seated against or passed through a coil of the spring 30 so as to centralize the spring and make it pull evenly from its two ends. The pin 3% acts to centralize the spring thereby equally dividing its pulling power at each end,'the result of which is to produce an even pull on the curtain.

The stationary motion producing member or means on the press frame, represented for exam leb the 'earrack26 acts to roduce C3 7 motion to the burnguard 18, and this motion is initiated by the opening and closing movement of the press. i

In operation, the ironing head 14 stands high above the buck 11 so as topermit the operator to spread thelaundered goods thereupon. As the head travels-upwardly to open the press to Figure 2 position, it follows that the drive pinion 27 subjects the shaft 2% to rotation thereby feeding the curtain 18 forwardly by reason of the pull exerted by each end of the spring 30 which quickly drives the curtain 18 all the way across the ironing face 19 thereby concealing it from view and pro tecting the operator from the heat a of the pressing jaws while the head is up.

After the work is spread upon the buck 11, the ironing head 14 is caused to close with the result that the pinion 27 runs along thestationary gear rack 26 thereby rotating the drum 17. in the opposite direction which overcomes the pull of the spring 30 thereby rollingthe curtain 18 upon the drum. The curtain 18 is now withdrawn from the ironing face 19 ust before the ironinhcad 1% reaches contact with the work.

What I claim is:

1. A press comprising in combination, a press frame, cooperating 'open' ig and closing press jaws at least one of which has a heated and polished ironing surface, a burn guard mounted movably on the press, operating means to work the burnguard including motion producing devices mounted stationary on the frame, and driving connections established between the motion producing devices and the burnguard by which the guard is released for movement over the ironin surface and withdrawn from over the ironing surface, and means to direct the bnrnguard over the ironing surface when released. 7

2. A press comprising in combination, a press frame, cooperating opening and closing press jaws'at least one of which has a heated and polished ironing surface, a burnguard mounted movably on the press, motion producing means mounted stationary on the frame, and operating means mounted on a movable press jaw and including a connection made with the stationary motion pro ducing means and a connection with the burn guard by which the latter is actuated in one direction and means to actuate the burnguard in the other direction.

3. A press comprising in combination, a press frame, cooperating opening and closing press jaws at least one of which has a heated and polished ironing surface, a burnguard mounted movably on the press, motion producing means mounted stationary on the frame, 'a drive shaft and gear connection established between the stationary motion producing means and burnguard by which the latter is actuated, in one direction and means to actuate the burnguard in the other direction.

a. A press comprising in combination, cooperating opening and closing press jaws at least one of which has a heated working face, a burnguard mounted movable on the jaw having the heated working face, a drive shaft carried on the latter named jaw, motion producing means mounted stationary on the press, operating means on one end of the drive shaft engaging the stationary'motion 1 producing means, and operating means on the other end of the shaft to actuate the burnguard.

. An ironing press burnguard comprising in combination, a frame, cooperating wide opei'nngpressing aws, one of the jaws having an exposed ironing surface, a burnguard cur ain carriermounted on one edge of the said ironing, surface jaw, a pulling means mounted on the other edge of the jaw and con- 7 nected to the curtain and adapted to draw the curtain across the ironing surface, a pinion driving the carrier to haul in the curtain by overcoming the aforesaid pulling means, a gear meshingwith the pinion, a shaft fixed to the gear and carried on the aw moving therewith, and means carried on the frame for rotating the shaft as the aw is moved to open and close the press. i a I (S. An ironing press burnguard comprisin in combination, a frame, cooperating wide opening press aws, one of the jaws having an exposed ironing surface, a burnguard curtain carrier mounted onone edge of the said ironing surface jaw, an open ended tube in the nature'of a casing carried on the opposite edge of the jaw, means concealed in the tube connected with'the curtain to draw the curtain across the ironing surface as the press opens, and means servingto operate the curtain carrier and withdraw it from the ironing surface as the press closes.

7. An ironing press burnguard comprising in combination, a frame, cooperating wide opening pressing aws, one of the aws having an exposed ironing surface, a burnguard curtain carrier mounted on one edge of the said ironing surface jaw, a tubular casing carried on the opposite edge of the jaw, a spring concealed in the casing and having its ends attached to the curtain to draw it across the ironing surface as the press opens, and means actuated by the closing motion of the press to overcome the spring and withdraw the curtain from the ironing surface as the press closes.

8. An ironing press burnguard comprising in combination, a frame, cooperating wide opening pressing jaws, one of the jaws having an exposed ironing surface, a burnguard curtain carrier mounted on one edge of the said ironing surface jaw, a tubular casing carried on the opposite edge of the jaw, a spring concealed in the casing and having its ends attached to the curtain to draw its across the ironing surface as the press opens, a stationary gear rack, a pinion driven thereby as the press opens and closes, and a connection made between the pinion and curtain carrier to overcome the pull of the spring and haul in the curtain uncovering the ironing surface as the press closes.

9. An ironing press comprising in combination with a burnguard, a frame, agear rack fixed thereto, cooperating press jaws one of which has an exposed ironing surface, said jaws adapted to open and close to undergo motion relatively to the gear rack, a bearing carried on a part of the press adjacent the gear rack adapted to move with the opening and closing jaw, a shaft journale-d in the bearing and movable in relation to the gear rack, a pinion fixed on the shaft meshing with the gear rack which rotates the shaft, 2. ourtain guard, a curtain carrier mounted on the movable jaw and connected with the shaft by which the curtain is drawn in one direction during one press movement, and means to draw the curtain in the other direction during the other press movement.

10. An ironing press comprising in combination with a burnguard, a frame, a gear ack fixed thereto, cooperating press jaws one of which has an exposed ironing surface, said jaw adapted to open and close to undergo motion relatively to the gear rack, a bearing carried on a part of the press adjacent the gear rack adapted to move with the opening and closing jaw, a shaft journaled in the bearing and movable in relation to the gear rack, a pinion fixed on the shaft meshing with the gear rack which rotates the shaft, a curtain guard, a curtain roller carried on the movable jaw upon which the curtain guard is rolled, and a coil tension spring carrier on the jaw and having its ends connected to the curtain guard.

11. An ironing press comprising in combination with a burnguard, a frame, a gear rack fixed thereto, cooperating press jaws one of which has an exposed ironing surface, said jaw adapted to open and close to undergo motion relatively to the gear track, a bearing carried on a part of the press adjacent the gear rack adapted to move with the opening and closing jaw, a shaft journaled in the bearing and movable in relation to the gear rack, a pinion fixed on the shaft meshing with the gear rack which rotates the shaft, a curtain guard, a curtain roller carried on the movable jaw upon which the curtain guard is rolled, a coil tension spring carried on the jaw and having its ends connected to the curtain guard, means engaging the central part of the spring thereby equalizing the pull exerted at each end thereof, and guide roller means by which the pull of the spring and its connection is guided to the curtain.

12. A press comprising in combination, a press frame, cooperating opening and closing press jaws at least one of which has a heated and polished ironin surface, a roller mounted upon the press, a urnguard rolled upon the roller, a single driving means connected to the roller, the single driving means rotating the roller in both directions to unroll and roll the burnguard upon the roller, and means to direct the burnguard over the face of the heated press jaw.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

JAMES CAMROD LEDBETTER. 

